Arts & Entertainment
Ski Club with Chicago Roots Sends Three Ski Jumpers to Winter Olympics
There are only four members of the 2022 U.S. Olympic men’s ski jumping team. And three of the Olympians on their way to Beijing trained at a historic club 40 miles northwest of Chicago.
We visited the Norge Ski Club in Fox River Grove to meet some high-flying athletes with nerves — and legs — of steel.
TRANSCRIPT
Marc Vitali: At the Norge Ski Club, it’s a long way to the top of the biggest of their five hills — a 70-meter ski-jumping tower.
Lucas Gasienica, ski jumper: No fear of heights for me.
Vitali: And it’s an eight-second thrill ride to reach the bottom of the hill.
Gasienica: I’m here for the tournament this weekend, yup, traveling from Salt Lake City to be here.
I’m just really focused. I’ve done this for a long time. So I’m just keeping it really simple up there and just worried about just one thing, just a good in-run position and relaxing my upper body when I get into that in-run so I can just use the legs off the takeoff.
Mike Glasder, 2018 U.S. Olympic Team: You’re kind of floating like a bird.
You’re not just dropping out of the sky. You’re kind of flowing out and following the contour of that hill.
Vitali: Mike Glasder of nearby Cary, Illinois trained at Norge. He was a Winter Olympian in 2018. It took him three attempts to earn his “Olympic bib.”
Glasder: It was a long journey. I’d just missed out in 2010 and 2014, so I decided to give it one more shot and ended up winning the Olympic trials in 2018 and got my first and my last bib.
Vitali: Norge Ski Club is year-round – they jump onto watered-down plastic when the weather gets warm.
And they have a program that introduces junior jumpers to the sport. They are currently training 50 young people, possibly for a future Olympics.
The clubhouse itself celebrates its past. Here’s a painting of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen hanging next to a pair of his actual skis.
Scott Smith, president, coach: We’ve been here since 1905. It was three Norwegians that started our club. They found this piece of property, and it’s just been going ever since. We just keep making improvements.
Charlie Sedivec, Norge Ski Club: In fact, our club originated in Chicago. The first two tournaments were held in Riis Park and Humboldt Park, so then in 1908 they were able to lease this property and after a few years we paid off the note and own the property, so the rest of the tournaments were out here.
Vitali: Norge continued to promote itself in Chicago, including a demonstration at Soldier Field.
Sedivec: In 1934 and 1954, the club built a jump on the roof of Soldier Field and they jumped off that.
Vitali: To promote the war effort during World War II, Norge jumpers took the leap at Wrigley Field.
This year marks Norge’s 117th annual ski jump tournament, and the grounds are freshly groomed.
Each year the event features both junior skiers and adult competitors from across the US and Canada.
Smith: Ski jumping’s a small community, even worldwide. Our top jumpers that are on the ski team they, they have lots of friends over in Europe and it is a small community and everyone cheers each other on.
Vitali: And at the Beijing Olympics they’ll be cheering on club members Kevin Bickner, Casey Larson, and Patrick Gasienica.
It’s the second consecutive Winter Olympics with three jumpers from the Norge Ski Club.
Glasder: It makes me extremely proud, especially to have all three from my home club and two repeats from 2018 - Kevin Bickner and Casey Larson - is just unbelievable.
Sedivec: They’re great jumpers and their great kids, so we’re pretty proud of them and proud of the whole program.
The 117th Norge Ski Jump Tournament is Saturday and Sunday. The Beijing Olympics begin Feb. 4.
